As we celebrate our freedom for yet another year, I marvel at the system that has preserved that freedom for so many amazing and productive years.

It is obvious, if you read the editorial page and political commentary of your local paper, listen to talk radio, or read one of the myriad political blogs on the internet, that someone is always unhappy about the state of the union.  Some of the unhappy people get together and have a (tea) party.  Some have coffee instead.  And they ought to be unhappy, really, because our system of governance is seriously flawed.  Politicians are owned by special interests.   Leaders are bound by agreements they never made.  And no matter who wins on an issue, someone always loses.  My father in law used to say “This is the worst system in the world.  Except all the other ones.”

I remember reading, as a student in history class, that the founding fathers envisioned the possibility that our Republic would be hijacked by special interests quite easily.  Thomas Jefferson wrote that “The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants.”  The founders thought it possible that, because of the nature of power and politics, a violent overthrow of the government might be required every twenty years or so in order to maintain the freedoms for which they so gallantly fought.

And yet, it hasn’t happened.

With the exception of a few uprisings, riots and a civil war, American society has stayed fairly civil (in deeds if not in words) about power and politics.  Why?  Because our system is so incredibly and artfully designed that people get a say in the future every couple of years.  It’s the beauty of our elections.  Vote or don’t vote.  Pick one party or the other.  You get your say.  And if you’re unhappy, don’t get too worried, because you’ll get your say again.  Even not voting is a form of having your say.

I’m an advocate for involvement and engagement before decisions get made.  I think that’s how it ought to be in organizations and businesses.  People don’t want to hear about the new deal after the fact.  They want to hear about it while it is still being thought about.  That gives them a chance to talk about it, think about it, and have some say in it.  Even if they don’t like the way it turns out, they get their say.

How does this apply to you?   Well, when an important decision is coming down the road or standing on the brink, you can ask people to think about it and invite their input!  Who knows?  Maybe you’ll find a way to make a better decision.  Or maybe, they’ll find the way to support the decision that is eventually made.  In either case, rather than a mixed message, it’s a congruent message of respect.

Here’s to freedom!  Your comments are welcome!

Be well,

Rick

To my readers, friends and associates;  and on behalf of myself, my wife and my daughter Aden Kirschner  (who I’m hoping to persuade this year to join The Art of Change LLC as a speaker and trainer) we wish you and yours a most satisfying and fulfilling holiday weekend.  To my fellow countrymen, and to people around the world who cherish the beacon of hope and freedom that America somehow continues to represent in a world of oppression, arrogance and, yes, idiocy, we wish you a HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY!

I know that the human condition can appear increasingly bleak – The disaster in the Gulf of Mexico that threatens to kill the area and poison the world for years to come; the rise of religious fundamentalism, superstition and tribalism that threatens to tear the human race apart in the name of self-righteousness and superiority;  the increasingly bleak economic conditions driven by bad behavior, low ethical sensibility and criminality in high places, both foreign and domestic;  the polarization of the American national fabric, thanks to the failure of both parties in our two party system to ever even consider doing the right thing, instead choosing the expedient thing, the short term solution and the inside-the-box tried and failed policies of the past; the pandering to the extremists and down-right insanity on both ends of the political spectrum, which has empowered the whiners and blamers to dominate our national psyche and conversation – yet in spite of this, I remain true to our national character:  Optimistic, determined, and focused on doing what I can with what I have to build a better life, better community and better world.

Why optimistic?  First, most of what’s good about America (and the world) takes place outside the view of the media and politicians.  Second, it’s always darkest before the dawn.  Third, so many people of good will are out in force celebrating what’s right about US today.  Fourth, we are a nation of innovators, thinkers, creators.  There are people right now who have solutions to our most vexing problems, or are hard at work solving them.  And if you want to see what’s right about our business community, just watch Apple Inc. as it changes the paradigm and empowers more and more people to fulfill their creative ambitions.  I don’t know how the Gulf of Mexico and the oceans and streams will be healed, but they will be.  Dunno how the crazies will get their comeuppance, be revealed for what they are and ultimately lose their support, but they will.  Dunno how the economy will be turned all the way around, but it will.  There are so many wonderful young people who have their heads on straight, and they are stepping up to the plate.  As my mother used to say, MARK MY WORDS!  There is much good left to come from US in service to the future, and it will come.  Maybe not as quickly as we hope, but faster than we expect.  I’m betting on the future.  I’m investing in it too.  234 years of history will not be tossed aside.

“Our greatest happiness does not depend on the condition of life in which chance has placed us, but is always the result of a good conscience, good health, occupation and freedom in all just pursuits.” – Thomas Jefferson

So, in honor of the day, I’d like to share with you my all-time favorite speech from a fictional American President appearing in a movie.

The speech is from the movie Independence Day.  With humanity on the brink of extinction, President Thomas J. Whitmore, played by Bill Pullman, gives the following incredibly inspirational speech. Somehow this seems apropos.  Here is a transcript of that speech:

“Good morning. Good morning. In less than an hour, aircraft from here will join others from around the world, and you will be launching the largest aerial battle in the history of mankind.

Mankind – That word should have new meaning for all of us today. We can’t be consumed by our petty differences any more. We will be united in our common interest. Perhaps it’s fate that today is the 4th of July, and you will once again be fighting for our freedom. Not from tyranny, oppression, or persecution, but from annihilation. We’re fighting for our right to live, to exist.

And should we win the day, the 4th of July will no longer be known as an American holiday, but as the day when the world declared in one voice, ‘We will not go quietly into the night! We will not vanish without a fight! We’re going to live on, we’re going to survive.’  Today we celebrate our independence day!”

President Thomas Whitmore
July 4th, 1996

I’ll be back in about a week with another post.

Be well

Rick

Extremists on both sides of the American political spectrum excel at demonizing those on opposite side. I’m still irked by political poisoning of our body politic.  So this week, I’m going to examine the word Conservative and consider the behavior of people who claim the label.

We’ll begin with the dictionary definition.

1. Favoring traditional views and values
2. Traditional or restrained in style
3. Moderate; cautious
4. Tending to conserve;  the conservative use of natural resources.
5. Tending to oppose change.

My favorite one is #3:  Moderate.  I can hardly stop laughing, just trying to contain the dictionary definition and the thought of today’s political conservatives.  Because moderate (something that I am!)  is something that they certainly are not.

I will, however, give credit where credit is due.  I’ll give them props for #1 and #5.

My father used to say “Don’t burn your bridges.”  I think that can apply that advice to traditional views and values, because they place today’s decisions in a broader context rather than merely the exigencies of the moment.  Fact is, I don’t fault anyone who calls him or herself a political conservative for taking principled stands.  Indeed, Thomas Jefferson wrote “In matters of principle, stand like a rock.”

Problem is, most of today’s issues are not matters of principle, as the principle players in the decision making process have already sold out, sold their souls, and are beholden to behind the scenes players who require simple obedience masquerading as a principled stand.  Even when it comes to traditional values, the devil is in the details, because one could apply different values and still be true to certain traditions.  But all of that aside, today’s self-identified political conservatives often seem to excel at only one thing:  Opposing change. In this regard, they are true to the definition of conservative, but I think a better word for their behavior is regressive.

I love that word, regressive.  If I were going to try to associate a word with the group currently calling itself ‘conservative,’ that’s probably the word I’d use.  I’d be inclined, by my desire to make things better and continually improve on the good that we already have,  to embrace and reframe progressive as being, not left wing and liberal, but on the side of our better angels as opposed to listening to our fears and allowing things to keep deteriorating and getting worse.

But on definition #4, it’s a FAIL.  So many of today’s conservatives seem to have an eager willingness to use up our natural resources with abandon.   Media personality and half term governor Sarah Palin likes shooting animals from her helicopter, thus killing life and burning fossil fuel at the same time, a TWOFER!  Dick Cheney prefers shooting his friends in the face.  I guess it’s a matter of style.

Notice how the ‘drill baby drill’ crowd has gone mostly and suddenly silent while the oil spews into the gulf, and the ‘there’s no climate change’ crowd must have gone with them, because there’s hardly a peep from them as the world’s weather mood swings in ever widening extremes.  Their shortsighted wastefulness has exposed future generations to an ever more dangerous climate and environment, but they seem just fine to conserve their energy where it counts and expend it where it can hardly be afforded.

And on #1, it’s at least half a FAIL.  Today’s conservativism seems to embrace, and even promote, greed and self-righteousness as a virtues, and this is truly a wonder to behold.  Our traditional values, as I recall from the teaching of my parents, community leaders and teachers, included generosity, modesty, and carried many warnings, such as ‘the end doesn’t justify the means,’ and ‘might does not make right.’  These things seem to be missing completely from the right side of the political stage.

That’s not, by the way, the political conservatism as practiced through most American history. George Washington, long considered a conservative icon, certainly didn’t oppose change. In fact, he worked and sacrificed for it.  His interest was to conserve what was good, discard the rest and do better. Today’s conservatism is out of context and common sense, and out of control, and encouraging those at the front of the conservative crowd only ensures that we are all going to run out of time.

Conservatism was not always this way.

In a historical sense, political conservatives long believed that a limited government is a healthier government, that free markets allow for innovation and creativity and for people (alone and in company) to rise based on individual merit. They believed that individual liberty, traditional American values and a strong national defense are vital to a healthy nation. They believed the role of government should be to allow people the freedom necessary to pursue their own goals.

These things matter to me. Like Thomas Jefferson (whom some current conservatives on the Texas School Board aimed to write out of our history books because of his desire to see a separation of church and state…a wall of distinction that helped us become such a mighty nation by tapping the talent of all good people, not just the irrational and unreasonable ‘true believers’ who pride themselves in their intolerance of ‘other’), I don’t think it’s healthy to have a government that is big enough to oppress the people (though it’s almost too late for that!)

I subscribe to the ethic of ‘think globally, act locally!’  Seems to me that the way to keep government small is to keep it healthy at a local level.

And like Adam Smith, I think that as long as there are reasonable checks and balances in place to protect against abuse, and people are guided by a sense of civic duty and personal morality, the free market works beautifully (though that is not how it’s done these days!)  As the sense of right and wrong has fallen away from the internal value set of conservative leaders, a corresponding green light for all sorts of bad behavior in business and government has led to the near-collapse of our union and its takeover by special interests.

Traditionally, political conservatives also recognized that with individual freedom comes individual responsibility. Rather than wanting a growing dependence on a nanny-state that looks out for citizens who are unwilling or unable to be responsible for themselves, they think it is imperative that each individual take responsibility for his own actions, and exercise his rights and freedoms wisely and with discretion. The emphasis is on morality, duty, and responsibility to one’s self and fellow men.

But the outspoken mouthpieces of today’s conservative movement, whether it’s Limbaugh, Beck, Hannity, Coulter  and Palin, seem unable to take the long view of anything, and spout patriotic slogans and hurl vitriol at people they don’t like at every opportunity.   I’m particularly irked by Sarah Palin, the no-nothing VP candidate, former half term Governor and full time quitter, whose lies and aspersions about political opponents spew out as easily and nastily as oil bubbling up under the Gulf of Mexico.  I’m not saying she’s dumb, but her intelligence seems strictly political and driven by ambition with her ‘don’t trouble me with the facts’ truthiness approach.

Those standing with her often do not seem to care about personal responsibility when it’s their responsibility, but instead apply a double standard that everyone else is somehow responsible. They engage in all sorts of bad behavior themselves, while condemning what they decide is bad behavior in everyone else.   They apparently don’t have to be responsible for what they say and do, as long as they can attack those they disagree with. They do this by demonizing opponents and turning labels like ‘liberal’ and ‘progressive’ into pejoratives, rather than engaging in reasonable disagreements based on  legitimate differences.  Contrary to their claims, the loudest of them do not seem to be driven by a will to be of service to US.

My take is that if you care about something, then you ought to live it, set an example of it, rather than holding everyone but yourself accountable!  Someone who truly embraces conservatism as a political stand in the modern world would be someone who rises above his personal self-interest and promotes moral and economic values beneficial to all.  I’d like to see more decency, reasonable disagreement, and a willingness to work towards conserving the best of the past while aiming for the future.

I understand why some who call themselves conservative are defensive around those who call themselves progressive.  During the Bush years, there was plenty of paranoia in a climate of sustained fear.  But the fear projected onto the right was targeted at the leaders, the people who allowed the banking system to go bad, who held secret meetings with energy industry executives to waive responsibility requirements and regulations, who covered up the breasts on statues while running around with interns and having bathroom sex at airports, who turned the US into a nation of nation builders elsewhere, while neglecting anything that might have been helpful to our own citizens, and whose war on terror had about the same effect as the war on drugs…THINGS GOT WORSE!   Lefties were frustrated that righties couldn’t see the writing on the wall, but I don’t recall the level of viciousness and hatred that the right now promotes against the left as a matter of course.  My mother raised me to believe that we lead best when we lead quietly, by example.  And the example set by the extremists on the right is one she never would have wanted me to follow.

Ok, that’s now off my chest.  While I’m still irked, I’ve worked some of it out in writing.  Time to focus forward.

I’m actually glad that people care about life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. And I’m glad that decent people are able to care about responsibility and progress at the same time.    After all, the Eagle has two wings, and they are both necessary for the big bird to fly.  Total liberty is anarchy.  A loss of liberty is tyranny. Finding the right balance is what government at its best seeks to accomplish, and government at its best requires the best of WE THE PEOPLE to get involved in the political process, to demand that our representatives represent US and work for our best shared interests.

Like most the people I know, I’m a combination of both conservative and liberal impulses. I want what’s best for myself, my family, my community and my country. I want us to conserve what works and do what is needed in order to advance the human condition and increase freedom in the world. I yearn for a less partisan time, when we can agree about good intent and work together to reduce our differences, come up with workable solutions that conserve the best of the past while allowing us to make progress toward the future.

If you’re capable of reason and persuasion, talk to me.  Are you a Conservative, a Liberal, or some combination of the two?  Your comments and feedback are always welcome.  Flames are not.

Be well,
Rick

Erg. Politics. I am irked by polarizing politics and politicians and political commentators today. Irked by the failure of leadership in both political parties to address the real issues facing us, and their tacit approval of everything that seems to harm us. And I am irked by the poisonous political atmosphere that redefines words and ideas for no other purpose than to further polarize the nation into unreasonable left and right and make it impossible to do anything other than play to the extremes. I am irked, and since I believe that in the cause of freedom, the pen is mightier than the sword, I simply must raise my digital pen and blog about it. In so doing, I seek to depolarize the polarizing words, and retrieve the useable aspects of them to help in bringing about positive change.

Lest’ you wrongly tag me as a leftie or rightie, I’m going to take turns with tags for both. This week’s word is the often used and much maligned word ‘liberal.’ As in ‘She’s a liberal, pinko, commie atheist,’ or ‘He’s a socialist whose liberal agenda will take away your freedom.” As in, ‘the Liberal Media.’ You know, because you’ve heard it used like this many multiples of times in the last 20 years. These days, just about the only time you even hear the word ‘liberal’ is when it is used as an insult.

Ironic, that, since the meaning of the word (and the political movement) is so opposite to the relatively recent redefinition. Consider the dictionary definition: Liberal: adj. Marked by generosity. n. ORIGINAL: One who is open-minded or not strict in the observance of orthodox, traditional, or established forms or ways.

By that definition, then, every great movement for positive change (women’s rights, civil rights) came about because open-minded people unwilling to settle for orthodoxy could see a better way.

So the term as used now in politics is completely inaccurate. In its least insulting form, it is used to refer to someone who is on the far left of the political spectrum. More commonly, it is used as a pejorative, with the intent to intimidate and humiliate.

Yet, in the 18th and 19th century, “liberal” was associated with disciples of John Locke (thus the authors of the U.S. Constitution would have been liberals), who believed in minimalist government (government as a protector of rights, not an instrument of social policy).

I fit the dictionary definition of a liberal to a T. But not the false political one. I’m neither a leftie or a rightie. I’m neither selfish nor selfless. And I’m certainly not a fan of big government, any more than I’d be a fan of anarchy and everyone fending for themselves in a dog eat dog world, or of unregulated predation by companies whose only interest is their bottom line and damn the cost to everyone else, like the corporate carelessness currently killing the Gulf of Mexico. I believe that what is best for the country may not always be best for me, and in that case, the good of the country comes first in my political thinking, because I see that ultimately, the many blessings of liberty bestowed on me by virtue of my American birth were the result of good people doing good things for the common good. Oh, and I like to conserve, too (More on that next week.)

My American forbears put on uniforms, saddled up, and boldly stepped out onto whatever battlefield they were sent to because they believed they were doing the right thing for the good of the country (unlike so many of the chicken hawks that make the policies that send our troops into harms way these days.) They worked like the dickens so that their families would prosper, their children could afford to receive an education. The founders of this nation were willing to sacrifice everything for their descendants, including their lives and fortunes. These were not selfish people, nor were they foolish about sacrifice. They understood that the common good delivers the greatest good for all of us. That’s why I’m willing to pay my fair share of taxes, make certain economic sacrifices for the good of my community, and also why i care so much about the quality of our education system and the success of our space program.

To those who been persuaded that liberal is a dirty word, I wonder if your mind is too encased in fear to hear that you are being played, deceived by wolves in sheep’s clothing who roam amongst you gathering the strength to devour. That’s what you get back for giving agreement to their campaigns of deceit and distortion. You’re better than that, smarter than that! C’mon, deep down, past all your prejudice and anger at what has become of US, you don’t actually believe that the loud-mouthed self-aggrandizing sore-loser double-standard politicians and media pundit types are putting the country first, do you?

You have noticed, haven’t you, that those who squawk the loudest about the liberal media are in the media? And that, just a couple of years ago, they supported without any hesitation every political and business action that squandered our fortune? You noticed, didn’t you, that you paid for their nation building abroad and gambling at home? You can tell, can’t you, that the values you were raised with are the opposite of the ones driving the loud-mouth crowd? That their protestations and proclamations are for their own advantage and gain, but done in your name, and with great emotion so you won’t be able to think it through? That almost to the man (or woman) they are liars and grandstanders snorting their disdain for ‘liberals’ but with no trace of the consistency and accountability they demand of everyone else?

I’m not wanting an argument, just a reality check. Because it seems to me that the talking heads on the right have found that they can best make their living specifically by polarizing the populace, tearing the fabric of the nation at every turn. They seem willing to burn everything down for the sake of being right that there’s no place for liberals or the left in our political landscape. They make up in volume, histrionics, lies and distortions for what they lack in decorum, civility, and facts. And just as Bill Clinton is not going to be the arbiter of what ‘is’ is, so these bullies ought not get the last word on what a liberal is.

Next up, the word ‘Conservative.’ First, though, I’m curious to hear your reactions to what I’ve written here.

Be well,

Rick

This month, we’re talking about mixed messages.  In my previous post, I gave you a list of examples of mixed messages that you are likely to hear.  I’ve worked with people whose parents gave them mixed messages, like “You never call.  I can’t talk, my show is on,” and  ”You never come over. But I’m ashamed of how you look.”

But mixed messages aren’t just verbal.  When our words don’t match our bodies, that’s a mixed message too!  So is smiling while expressing sympathy.

No matter how they’re transmitted, mixed messages have consequences.   Mixed messages are confusing, and when people are confused and things don’t get better, they tend to become cynical, polarized and angry, or they collapse into a state of silence and helplessness.

Amelia Hill, in a piece she wrote for The Guardian newspaper titled “After Feminism: What Are Girls Supposed To Do?”, was referring to these consequences in the lives of teenage girls when she wrote:

The consistently mixed messages being sent to young girls, Hill notes, have lead to an increase in eating disorders, behavioral problems, and “risky behaviors” amongst the already vulnerable population: “Who, after all, wouldn’t feel confused and unhappy being raised in this brave new world that demands super-skinny, super-sexy and super-brainy all at the same time?”

Likewise, mixed messages have created some real interference with the national census.  The fearmongering of Republican politicians and pundits now has some in the GOP concerned that their foul claims about the census, so enthusiastically foisted on their followers as yet another way of interfering with the Obama administration, may be coming home to roost,  costing them seats and representation.

What mixed messages?   After all, in each moment, the messages being sent may have seemed congruent.  For example, Glenn Beck claimed that questions about race were intended to increase “…your dependence on the master in Washington.”  Michelle Malkin claimed it was part of a Democratic scheme to count illegal immigrants in order to “…ensure a permanent ruling majority.” Michelle Bachman had an even bigger idea about how bad the census is, claiming the information would be used to send people to internment camps.  But now, it’s a new moment, and some in the GOP are realizing that the consequent resistance to the census may do more harm to themselves than to Obama.     In a post on the blog Red State, Rep. Patrick McHenry of North Carolina expressed his concern about “blatant misinformation coming from otherwise well-meaning conservatives.”

And who can forget the flap over the use of the word ‘retarded’?  First, Rahm Emanuel used the word and Sarah Palin took offense (she has a gift for that!)  Then Limbaugh used the word and she didn’t see a problem with it.  That’s just plain retarded!  (Sorry, I couldn’t resist!)   My mother used to say ‘What’s good for the goose is good for the gander.”   Sarah’s mixed message approach is different.

Helplessness may actually be the desired state of the person who traffics in mixed messages.   Control freaks, sexual predators and perpetrators of domestic violence frequently use mixed messages, either intentionally, or unconsciously (because they learned the behavior pattern from the authority figures in their own lives), as a way of controlling others.  In fact, there are several hypnotic techniques that use mixed messages to break down a person’s ability to think and take them into a state of confusion.  (No, I’m not going to tell you what they are!)

There’s good news for you IF you’re able to think for yourself.  Because mixed messages have no effect if you notice them and recognize them for what they are, point them out and then straighten them out. And even if you fail to notice them in time, you can notice the confused state they trigger as a an early warning sign that someone may be messing with your head.

You know the saying… A house divided against itself cannot stand.  Said another way, an organization divided against itself, a nation divided against itself, (and yes, even an individual divided against his or her self…like the person who loves his family and spends no time with them)  cannot stand itself,  because mixed messages give rise to an ever increasing number of negative and difficult behaviors as people try to navigate the confused situation.

I’ll say this as clearly as I can.  Today is a great day to do your part to identify and eliminate mixed messages, on your team, in your department, in your relationships and in your community.

Your comments and feedback are welcome.

Be well,

Rick